The Little Mermaid Hans Christian Anderson Style
by x.citra
Summary: The Hans Christian Anderson "Little Mermaid" fairytale ending, but with a twist.  What if Eric woke up?  One-Shot    Character names from Disney are used.  None of the characters belong to me, obviously.


_I gave up so much for him…why can't he love me back?_

She tried holding back the tears, but it was a wasted effort._ If he'd only known that it was me_.** I** _saved him. I've been here for him. For me, it was always him. No matter how many other men there were. There was only my one Prince Eric. But for him… _She didn't want to acknowledge it, but she knew it was true. _It was her…I've been her replacement. But now, he has the real thing. He doesn't need a surrogate anymore. I'm useless. And by dawn, I shall be mere sea foam drifting on the ocean. _The more she thought about it, the harder the tears fell. If she had a voice, she would be crying out in heartache.

She could have been his beautiful bride.

She continued to sob; looking out into the dazzling blue horizon, imagining her family and kingdom back home. Ariel had known that making a deal with a sea witch was tricky; though she thought that it would have been easy to make the prince fall in love with her. Her plan had been working too, until Vanessa had shown up. Who would have guessed that the temple maiden whom he believed saved him; would be a princess from a neighboring kingdom? Everyone was excited, believing that the two were destined to meet again and wed. Eric had expected Ariel to be happy for his good fortune. Not wanting to disappoint him, she tried her hardest to smile. But inside, she was pained deeply.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of something coming up to the water surface.

"Ariel! It is us, your sisters!" The little mermaid looked to where she had been called from, and it was her sisters. But their lovely flowing hair had all been lost. "Please Ariel, we have not much time. Our grandmother has lost her hair grieving of your absence, but we have given ours to the sea witch, so that you can become a mermaid again and live out the rest of your lifespan." Upon hearing the news she was overjoyed. She could be reunited with her family in the sea for at least three thousand years. No longer did she have to perish and become sea foam when the sun rose. Her sisters continued, "All you must do is take this," They held out a sharp dagger, "and stab the princes' heart. As soon as his blood touches your feet, it shall become tail again, and you will be able to do everything that you have before this tragic event." Ariel hesitated before taking the dagger. "Hurry! You must do it before dawn, or you shall then become sea foam!" They then quickly swam away, and Ariel was left shocked.

Torn between doing the righteous thing, and her own happiness, she blindly ran to Prince Eric's room. Slowly creaking open the door, she took light steps toward his bed. There he was, with his bride. His face looked calm and blissful. It hurt her to look at him; so happy, because of another woman.

She took the dagger into both hands, unsure of what to do. When suddenly, the silence was broken by a quiet, yet audible sound.

"_Vanessa..." _he mumbled. Uncontrollable tears began streaming down Ariel's face. Emotions began to stir inside of her.

_Shock, anger, jealousy. _Each worse than its counterpart. In a blind rage, she brought down the weapon 1 inch from his chest. Though in that very moment, a thought occurred to her.

_If I kill him, _she thought, _then it would be obvious why he chose her and not me. Why should I take him away from a woman who would obviously make him happy? She should not lose love as I did._ That was when she realized that the righteous thing **was, **in a way,her own happiness. _If I truly did love him with all my heart…then his happiness, should be my happiness as well._

Her decision had been made. Ariel kissed her prince on the forehead, as a goodbye. She abandoned the dagger making a loud 'clang' sound; and once she was done with that, she discarded of her selfishness. Making a dash to the side of the ship, she was prepared to return to the sea, but not as a mermaid. As a girl who had given up her one greatest wish. For her true love to love her back. Quite a simple wish, yet…a strong one. One that could no longer be granted.

As she prepared to jump to her demise, Prince Eric shouted out to her. "Ariel? Is that you?" he held the dagger in one hand. Obviously awoken by the sound of when she had dropped it.

"What are you…?" Then he realized her intentions and reached out to grab her but it had been too late. "NOO!" he exclaimed. He looked down, but didn't see a body. There had been no sound of her hitting the water either. "Wh…" Then, a sudden breeze came on. It felt gentle, and warm. _Like Ariel. _He thought.

He listened closely. A voice could be heard, but only bearly. Still, it was the most beautiful voice he'd ever heard. It sounded nostalgic. Eric was reminded of the day he was saved. Washed up on shore and luckily found by temple maiden. _I love you.. _the voice seemed to say.

_It must all be a dream. _He convinced himself. _I mean, why would Ariel take her own life? She was so happy the last time I saw her! But… No, it's nothing. I should go back. _And he did. Laying down his head, the prince drifted off. Only to discover that when he woke up, Ariel was truly gone.

The prince thought about her for a while. His little foundling. He'd found her washed up on the shore. _Just like me. _He thought. The little mute girl who had been so good to him. He remembered her blue expressful eyes. The way she smiled at him, that way she looked at him; with a truly dazed expression on her face. How happy she was to see him in the morning. As if every moment was a blessing. So graceful, yet she seemed so sad when she looked out into the big blue sea. As if she was missing something. Something like home.

His urge to cry was great, but he held back. _I will be strong. That's what she would want. _His wife had been terrified at the news as well. She knew how fond of Ariel her husband was. She'd grown fond toward the sweet girl as well.

It was a sad day for everyone. But something urged them to move on. The wind seemed to sing joyously. As though it was Ariel herself. She would not want them to grieve. But move on, and remember her. She would always stay as a precious memory.


End file.
